Buying
4 guides from Panax Ginseng on buying, each with the studies behind it.
The Three Panax Species
Korean ginseng, American ginseng and notoginseng are three Panax plants with three sets of trials. What each one is, who buys it, and which one you want.
“Collectively these RCTs provide suggestive evidence for the effectiveness of red ginseng in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.”
Three plants in the genus Panax account for almost all the ginseng sold in the world: Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and notoginseng (Panax notoginseng). They look alike, they all make ginsenosides, and a lab can tell them apart by their saponin markers (Ji 2023). Each one has its own trials and its own long use. This page is the hub from the Korean ginseng side. The pairwise comparisons are Korean vs American ginseng and Korean ginseng vs notoginseng, and our sister sites tell the same story from the American side in the three Panax species and from the notoginseng side in the three Panax species.
Ginseng Dosage: How Much per Day
How much Panax Ginseng to take per day for energy, erectile function, blood sugar and focus, based on the doses actually used in clinical trials.
“These results confirm that Panax ginseng may possess glucoregulatory properties and can enhance cognitive performance.”
Most Panax ginseng studies use 1 to 2 grams of root extract a day for general energy and fatigue, 1.8 to 3 grams a day of red ginseng for erectile function, and single doses of 200 to 400 mg for a same day mental boost. The amount that fits is the one matched to the benefit you want, and those studied ranges are where the results showed up.
How to Choose a Ginseng Supplement
Choose Panax Ginseng with a named species, a standardized ginsenoside percentage, and a dose in the range the trials used.
“Clinical trials and 50 years of presence on the market are proof of a good safety profile of G115.”
Look for the species (Panax ginseng or Panax quinquefolius), a standardized ginsenoside percentage, and the gram amount per serving. Although an analysis of 25 commercial ginseng products found real products can vary widely from their labeled amounts, a clear species name and a standardized percentage are what bring a bottle close to the benefits in the trials.
Red vs White Ginseng: What Processing Changes
Red and white Panax Ginseng differ by one step, steaming. What that step changes in the root, and which studies apply to each form.
“The results of this study suggest that both hydroponically cultivated red and wild growing white ginseng have similar beneficial effects on the cognitive functions of elderly subjects”
Red and white ginseng come from the same plant, Panax ginseng. White ginseng is the fresh root simply air dried, while red ginseng is steamed before drying, a step that changes its mix of active compounds called ginsenosides and gives it a reddish brown color, denser texture, and longer shelf life.